PNG: COVID cases up, POM locks down
PNG’s Acting Health Secretary has announced another suspected death from COVID-19 in the Nation’s Capital. Dr Paison Dakulala said a 35-year-old health worker died due to respiratory illness as a result of
Adapting ecosystems to climate realities
A major evaluation of climate adaptation projects in the Pacific argues that bottom-up, community-led projects have performed better than many top-down, donor-driven initiatives. The study, published in the prestigious
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Boarding Pass The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the UN body responsible for aviation, has agreed to ease airlines’ obligations to offset their emissions growth until at least 2023. The decision
Fiji Budget wrap
Fiji’s 2020-21 National Budget will see the Government attempt to spend its way out of the COVID-19 induced recession. “Barring drastic intervention, our economy may never fully recover; not this year, not next
Pacific fisheries observers finally home
Solomon Island, Fijian and Papua New Guinean fisheries observers are now home after being repatriated from American Samoa this week. Some of them had been away from home since December last year. The nine Pacific
Reading Fiji’s change of tack
“We call for the immediate suspension of the individuals who are holding current positions at USP and further investigation about the matter,” demands a petition being circulated on the internet a day or so after
French Prosecutor pursues Temaru
In French Polynesia, long-time independence leader Oscar Manutahi Temaru is again locked in battle with the French legal system. Last month, Temaru launched a two-week hunger strike, in protest over the seizure of his
Delving into PICTA
In the last issue of Islands Business, I discussed the abysmal state of the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and concluded that there was indifference in the way signatory countries have regarded and
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Boarding pass International Civil Aviation Organisation Secretary General Dr Fang Liuhas says regional cooperation will be critical to air transport recovery post COVID-19. “For your recoveries to be truly successful,
Staff back Pal
A fresh protest at the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala Bay Campus in Suva was quickly stopped by Police Tuesday when protesters were told they had to apply for a permit. The protesters – angry at
The week in brief
Vanuatu wants to defer leaders meeting The Government of Vanuatu has formally advised of its intention to defer the 51st Pacific Islands Forum Meeting scheduled for 4 – 7 August 2020 to next year, in light of the
